You were once overweight. You may have even been overweight for your entire life, but you worked very hard, ate right, and exercised, and now you have lost that weight. In fact, according to all of the medical charts, you are the perfect weight. Congratulations! You have made a great achievement and brought better health to your life. So, how come you still feel fat? You need to know about the emotional fallout associated with weight loss.
Being Physically Thin and Emotionally Fat
Most people who were overweight for a long period of time, or even a lifetime, remain fat from an emotional standpoint even after they have lost the weight – and even if they continue to maintain that weight loss. This is called being physically thin and emotionally fat.
You may still have an overweight mentality. You may avoid certain types of clothing simply because you couldn’t wear that type of clothing in a larger body. You may still avoid thin people and be drawn more towards overweight people – without giving those thin people a chance. You may not feel that you are worthy of their time or attention. This can be a very bad thing if you aren’t careful.
Is it Okay to Remain Emotionally Fat?
In one sense, it is okay to remain emotionally fat, even after you are physically thin, for two reasons. The first is that if you remain emotionally fat, you are more likely to make sure that you remain physically thin. The second reason is that as long as you remain emotionally fat, you can identify with people who are overweight, and you will be more careful not to fall into the mentality that people who have never been overweight tend to have regarding overweight people.
On the other side of the coin, you need to shed those feelings of low self esteem and self worth that you had as an overweight person and embrace your thinness. Shed those issues just as you worked to shed those pounds, but hold onto the positive aspects of being emotionally fat at the same time. This can be a very thin line to walk, so use caution.
Do You Need Counseling?
Some people who were once overweight, but have become thin actually do need some counseling to fit into their new body from a mental aspect. Only you can determine whether you need this help or not. Are you constantly obsessing over your body? Do you still have those same feelings of low self esteem? If so, you probably need counseling to help you work through these feelings.
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